A very long time ago a boy child was born to a simple, devout Shudra family who lived in the village of Dehu in Pune District. The boy was named Tukaram.
Though of the Shudra cast, the lowest in the caste hierarchy, Tukaram’s father was fairly well off. He earned an income from money lending, agriculture and trading. He also owned a tract of farm land along the banks of the Indrayani River.
The family were devotees of Lord Vithoba of Pandharpur and had built a small temple of their own dedicated to Lord Vithoba. Even as a child Tukaram was a pious and sincere devotee of Lord Vithoba. He would spend much of his time in meditation and prayer and his family was very supportive of his spiritual inclinations.
At the tender age of thirteen, Tukaram found himself thrust into the role of provider for his family, as his father and brother opted to withdraw from their commercial ventures. He worked as a shopkeeper but continued diligently with his spiritual practices. It was during this time that he entered into a marriage and started a family. However, tragedy struck when his first wife and children succumbed to the hardships of a famine. Tukaram remarried. While still in his teens Tukaram lost both his parents. His life was dogged with tragedy and a while later his brother’s wife too died. On her demise his brother left their home and village to live a life of spiritual seclusion in Kashi.
Tukaram though deeply distressed by the all the sad events in his life continued to work in order to provide for his family. He was a simple man completely devoid of deceit. He trusted people but unfortunately his trust was very often betrayed. One day on the way home Tukaram was robbed of all his money by a wily crook who conned him into believing that some worthless brass items were gold.
Debtors too often took advantage of Tukaram’s simplicity and did not repay their loans. On the other hand creditors would badger him for their outstanding dues. Yet all these untoward instances never changed Tukaram. He remained kind, caring and honest and had a heart that was always filled with love for every living being. Once when Tukaram came across a poor Brahmin who was starving he, without a thought for his own needs, gave the Brahmin all the money that he had earned with so much difficulty.
Despite the turbulence and turmoil in his life Tukaram never lost his faith in Lord Vithoba. In fact these very tragedies worked to strengthen his devotion for the Lord.
Then unexpectedly, one day, Tukaram left his house and village and disappeared into the Bhamnath forest nearby. He spent fifteen days without food, water or sleep in deep meditation and contemplation on the Lord. On the fifteenth day it is said that Tukaram received enlightenment. He realised his Supreme Self and the Lord Himself manifested before him.
Since his disappearance Tukaram's second wife had been relentlessly searching for him. Finally she found him in the deep forest of Bhamnath. She insisted that Tukaram return home with her. However, upon bringing him back home, she couldn't help but observe that there was a profound transformation in Tukaram. To her dismay he displayed no inclination towards mundane household responsibilities or gainful employment. Then much to his wife’s horror Tukaram collected all the promissory notes he had received from debtors and the account books and threw them into the Indrayani River. His actions seemed as though they were a symbolic release from the material entanglements that had once held him captive.
Subsequently Tukaram set about reconstructing, with his own hands, the family Vithoba temple that had been languishing in ruin and disrepair. His days and nights became an immersive symphony of devotion, resonating with the heartfelt singing of Bhajans and Kirtans. Reflecting on that transformative period, Sant Tukaram revealed that his foremost prayer was, "O God! Kindly grant that I should never forget You. My body is made up of the five elements which I have to return with interest at the end. My conviction is that there is no well-wisher for me other than You, O Pandhuranga!"
Tukaram as a child had received only the very rudiments of an education. He could read and write. On his return from the forest, apart from his devotional pursuits, Tukaram embarked on a journey into the intricate study of the literary works and poems of the Saints Jnanadev, Namdev and Ekanath. The verses of the Gita and the Bhagavatam too were an integral part of his sacred repertoire of studies. It was as though Tukaram's soul had blossomed, and gradually, he began to craft his own lyrical expressions. Then one star-lit night, Sant Namdev appeared before Tukaram along with Lord Vithoba. The Saint woke Tukaram and advised him to continue to create devotional songs. It was with this divine sanction that Tukaram embarked on a poetic odyssey that would resonate throughout the ages.
The magnetic pull of his devotional expressions transcended societal boundaries. In time people of all castes and classes began to gather around Tukaram whenever he sang his Bhajans and Kirtans. It was not long before his followers began to consider him a saint. Unfortunately there were some who did their best to discredit him. Unable to turn Tukaram’s followers against him they sent a disparaging report about Tukaram to Rameshwar Shastri.
Rameshwar Shastri was regarded as one of the most erudite Brahmins of the time. Despite Tukaram’s impassioned plea before the learned Brahmin, Rameshwar Shastri remained impervious to all the arguments. Shastri pronounced that all of Tukaram’s poems were a deliberate attempt to explain the principles of the Srutis from a Shudra’s point of view and that was totally unacceptable. Shastri not only forbade Tukaram from writing any more poems but ordered that all the ones he had created must be submerged in the Indrayani River.
Though devastated by Rameshwar Shastri’s judgement Tukaram, who had always revered Brahmins, followed Shastri’s orders. Sadly, he gathered all his poems together tied the bundle with some strong rope and then attached a heavy stone to the bundle. He then dropped his life’s most sacred works into the Indrayani River.
His detractors were delighted to witness Tukaram’s humiliation. To them this was just one more the opportunity to cast more slurs at Tukaram. Tukaram did not mind their taunts. What did bother him was that he had been commanded by Lord Vithoba Himself to spread Bhakti (devotion) among the people through his poems and now he was disobeying the Lord’s command.
To clear his dilemma Tukaram sought for reassurance from the Lord. Tukaram sat motionless and in deep prayer on the banks of the Indrayani River. He begged Lord Vithoba to guide him onto the correct path. For thirteen days and nights Tukaram sat in prayer without any water, food or sleep. On the thirteenth night one of Tukaram's followers had a dream in which Lord Vithoba told him, "Go to the river; there you will find all of Tukaram’s poems floating on the surface of the water, completely intact."
Immediately on awaking the man rushed to the river and there, as the Lord had said, he found the entire the bundle of poems floating along in the water. He picked the bundle up and placed it on the banks of the river beside Tukaram.
Tukaram was freed of his dilemma. He was deeply moved by the Lord’s grace and benediction. Released from the shackles of doubt, Tukaram found himself bathed in the profound grace and benevolence of the Lord. Overwhelmed by the divine mercy, he felt an irrepressible surge of gratitude within his being. Without hesitation, he picked up his quill and the words seamlessly flowed into five poignant poems. In these verses, he confessed that it was his own faltering faith that had led him to question the very word of Lord Vithoba. With humility etched in each line, Tukaram begged forgiveness for unwittingly burdening the Lord with safeguarding his verses for thirteen days!
Tukaram was now certain that he must continue to spread devotion through his poems. However, rooted in his profound respect for a Brahmin's authority, Tukaram could not shake off the remorse he felt for defying the command of a personage as esteemed and revered as Rameshwar Shastri.
Rameshwar Shastri had heard of the miraculous retrieval of Tukaram’s poems. He realized that he had made a terrible mistake. Nevertheless, he had been far too proud to admit to his own mistake or revoked his decree.
While on his travels, Shastri came to a village where, a Muslim fakir, Anagad Shah, resided. Passing by the fakir's dwelling, Shastri was captivated by a splendid, sizable fountain within the premises. The allure of its cool and crystal-clear waters proved irresistible, prompting Shastri to take a dip.
Anagad Shah, seeing a stranger trespassing onto his property, got very annoyed. The fakir cursed Shastri saying, “You had no right to misuse the water from my fountain to cool yourself. As a consequence of this impropriety, a burning sensation, from within, will permeate your entire being."
Instantly Rameshwar Shastri began to feel a flaming heat burn throughout his body. He tried several means to extinguish this unbearable heat. Yet nothing seemed to give him relief. He was suffering so much that he decided to take recourse in prayer. He went to Alandi and sat before the Samadhi of Sant Jnaneshwar. There he prayed fervently entreating the Lord to give him some relief from the searing and ceaseless burning sensation
It is not difficult to draw a parallel between Shastri admonishing Tukaram for his depiction of the strutis in his bhanjans and kirtans with the incident between Shastri and Anagad Shah. Whereas Rameshwar Shastri had held that it was the sole prerogative and right of Brahmins to interpret the strutis, Anagadshah too held that it was his sole prerogative and right to determine who could use the water of the fountain.
That night Rameshwar Shastri had a vision of Sant Jnaneshwar. Jnaneshwar said, "You misappropriated your authority over the scriptures and forbid Tukaram from writing his praises of the Lord. Tukaram is one of the greatest devotees of Vithoba. Go and surrender to Tukaram and all your bodily anguish will disappear."
Rameshwar Shastri knew he had wronged Tukaram but was afraid to face him. He realized that Tukaram was indeed a great and powerful Saint. He feared that if he met Tukaram the saint might in anger curse him just as the fakir had. So instead of going in person to ask for mercy he sent a letter to Tukaram apologising profusely and asking for Tukaram’s forgiveness.
Tukaram, true to his nature, had nothing but supreme love towards everybody, even towards his persecutors. On receiving the letter, he sent a reply to Rameshwar in the following verse:
"If the mind is pure, even your enemies become your friends; you have no danger from cruel animals like tigers or serpents. Even poison becomes as beneficial to you as the nectar of heaven. All unhappiness will be converted into happiness and even suffering due to the burning of the body will vanish. You will come to love all creatures as you love yourself; you will entertain equal vision towards all.”
As Rameshwar read the words, "and even suffering due to the burning of the body will vanish," his body suddenly became free of all suffering and thus it was firmly impressed upon him that he had done a great injustice to Tukaram. From that moment onwards Rameshwar Shastri became a great admirer and an ardent follower of Sant Tukaram.
Sant Tukaram was an extraordinary saint who lived in 17th-century Maharashtra. He composed close to 4,500 devotional poems, called Abhangs. He also popularized community-oriented worship with Kirtans. His Abhang songs were devoted to Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur. Lord Vitthala is the form by which Sri Krishna is worshipped in Maharashtra. Lord Vitthala is also known by the names Panduranga, Vithoba and Pandharinatha.
LIFE LESSONS
1. From Sant Tukaram we learn that the Lord loves all living beings
2. From Sant Tukaram we learn that it is devotion to God that is more important than anything else in our life.
3. Unlike Rameshwar Shastri we must never judge people by their caste, class, status or position.
4. Like Tukaram we must love everyone even those who condemn or spurn us.
5. Like Tukaram we must forgive those who ask for our forgiveness.
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